Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi and Evostar 72 refractor
I’M A FAN OF Sky-Watcher’s Star Adventurer mount, a small, portable sky-tracker designed primarily for use with DSLR cameras and lenses. For its stated purpose, it works great. But some of the advertising shows it with a small telescope attached, and I’ve found this configuration to be less than optimal. Immersed in the world of large mounts and high-end imaging, I often find myself yearning for a small Go To mount that can hold a small telescope for visual use but is also small enough to fit in airline carry-on compartments.
Enter the Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi mount. It’s small and lightweight, weighing just 4 kg including its surprisingly sturdy tripod. The mount runs on 12 volts DC and can be powered by eight AA batteries housed in the mount body or by an external DC power source.
The AZ-GTi is rated to carry a 5 kg payload, which is sufficient for a small telescope. You can buy the mount separately, but there are two packages that include optics: one with a 102-mm f/13 Maksutov-Cassegrain (US$555), and one with a 127-mm f/12 Maksutov-Cassegrain (US$725). For this review, however, I paired the mount with Sky-Watcher’s new Evostar 72 APO Refractor. This affordable 72-mm ED doublet has a focal length of 420 mm, producing an f/ratio of f/5.8. It’s potentially a very nice grab-and-go combination.
The Evostar 72 comes with tube rings and a Vixen-style dovetail plate, as well as an aluminium-sided carry case. While it includes a mounting bracket for a
